


Let Me Keep You Warm

by longlive97



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Getting Together, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Protective Steve Rogers, Sharing a Bed, Snow, Snow Storm, but not too bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:41:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27579974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longlive97/pseuds/longlive97
Summary: On the way to a battle, the quinjet is shot down, and Steve and Tony go down with it. Landing in the middle of a forest and a snowstorm on the horizon, Steve and an injured Tony find an old cabin to hunker down in. In this setting, Tony tries hard to ignore his feeling, but Steve doesn't make it easy for him.
Relationships: Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 163





	1. Chapter 1

Tony knew a thing or two about waking up in strange places. 

When Tony was young, M.I.T young, he would fall asleep in the library or on Rhodey’s room floor. It was also the start of working so long in the lab that he would pass out in front of whatever project he was working on at the time.

He also knew about waking up in places that he had no memory of being. 

After long nights of drinking, holes in events that happened were something to be expected. The feeling that accompanied was always a dead giveaway of how he came to be in this place. Tony was intimately familiar with that feeling.

This, however, was something different.

Tony’s body felt sore, not in a hungover way; it was a whole-body ache. Like he had been hit by something big. Had he been hit by something big? He couldn’t remember, and his brain was so foggy. He was also cold, which didn’t make sense. The Iron Man suit kept him warm, but he wasn't wearing it. Why wasn’t he wearing it? 

Slowly the fog around him started to lift, and he remembered that he was headed toward a battle. He was in the quinjet, being briefed about 4 minutes out, flying over a middle-of-nowhere forest when they had been struck. He hadn’t been wearing his suit yet.

He hadn’t been alone, though. Someone was with him. Who was with him? 

Just as he was trying to remember, a voice cut through the fog, trying to shake him out of his dream-like state.

“Tony? Tony, please, sweetheart, I need you to open your eyes for me.” The voice, while steady, had an edge of desperation to it. 

Tony knew that voice; he trusted that voice. He should do what that voice is saying.

Tony slowly opened his eyes and waited for them to focus. The blurry shape started to become clearer the more that he blinked. 

He saw the out-of-focus person start to move, cradling Tony’s body. The person's face was close enough that Tony could feel their breath on his face.

“Oh, thank God,” the voice- Steve! The voice was Steve’s- sounded relieved.

Tony worked to focus on Steve’s face. He could see the tension, the worry line that Steve got when he tried to stay calm. 

“Hey cap, how ya’ doing?” Tony took stock of their surrounding as he spoke

“How am I? Tony, you’re the one that was knocked out after being shot out of the sky! I’d be a lot better if I knew if you’re injured.” Steve proceeded to run his hand up and down Tony’s arms and ribs, feeling for any breaks. 

“I’m fine, Captain Worrywart. I’ve had worse,” and he wasn’t lying. As much as he was confused and sore, this wasn’t nearly close to other experiences he had been through in his life.

“I know, but that doesn’t mean you’re still not hurt. We are alone out here, and it’s better that we know now before it gets any worse.” 

Tony finally looked around as Steve finished speaking. Besides the skid from where the quinjet had crashed and its smoking twisted wreckage, there was nothing around but trees. 

“Well, shit.”

“Yeah.” Steve sighed.

Tony sat up, moving out of reach of Steve, which he didn’t want to do. The feel of Steve’s arm around him helped ground him, keeping the panic at bay. Tony didn’t like this. He was sure that the team would find them, but how long would that be? They still had the battle to fight, and that would take priority. He had to concentrate; they couldn’t stay here. 

“I’m ok. I mean, I feel like I was shot out of the sky, but what can you do? I can walk, and we need to find somewhere safe. It's cold, and those clouds look like it's gonna snow.” Tony moved to stand up, wobbling on his feet as he did. 

Steve moved quickly to help steady him, grabbing his elbow to help stay upright. The tension in Steve's shoulders was becoming visible again.

“Tony…” 

“Steven, I am fine. We have to get moving. Put that tactical brain to work and figure out where the best direction for us to start walking is.” 

“Right, ok. You’re right. Who knows when the team is going to be able to get out here. I think I saw a structure back before we got hit, so if we walk back the way we came, we should be able to find it. A couple of miles out, I think,” Steve said, turning in the direction of the crash.

“Well then, let’s get walking” Tony started to walk, only to stumble as his whole body protested the movement.

He had had worse injuries for sure, but he was hurting. He hoped that Steve didn't notice, but he was never that lucky. 

“That’s obviously not going to work, Tones. Here, get on.” Steve turned his back to Tony and squatted.

“Get on where? What are you talking about?” 

“You can’t walk, you're most likely more hurt than you are willing to tell me, and I’m not going to let you make it worse. So get on my back; I’m going to carry you. It’ll go faster.” Steve was talking like this was a normal everyday thing, like he was offering a piggyback ride. 

“I can walk! I’m a strong independent Iron Man.” Tony heard Steve huff slightly in what sounded like an attempt to stifle a laugh. 

“I know that you are, but I’m here to help you. Let me take care of you.” 

Through all the pain and worry, that statement made Tony flush. Tony wanted to pretend that Steve felt that way, that he really wanted to take care of him, but Tony knew it was only within this context. Tony was injured, and Steve was just offering this as a courteous gesture, one friend to another.

“You ok there? We need to get moving” Steve’s words drew Tony out of his thoughts. 

“If you insist,” Tony did the best he could to get himself onto Steve’s back, but his injuries wouldn’t let him.

The position put too much pressure on the ribs, and the walking was just going to make it worse. Tony figured he would bite his lip and tough out the pain, but Steve… Steve knew that something was wrong, even without Tony saying anything. Steve took Tony off his back and turned around. Before Tony could say anything, Steve scooped him up into his arms. One arm under his knees and one was supporting his back. The blush that Tony worked to fight down came back full force. 

“Steve…”

“Nope, I don’t want to hear it. I’m not going to hurt you any more than you are, and we need to move. This is the best option.” Steve set off walking, the quick pace should be jarring to Tony, but Steve was holding him steady.

Tony knew he should protest and shouldn’t feel the way he did, so safe and protected, but his brain fought against him with every passing moment. In this position, Tony could believe that nothing was going to hurt him. Steve was a barrier between him and the rest of the world.

Before he realized it, the adrenaline was leaving his body, and his head was resting on Steve’s chest. When he became aware of this, he lifted his head. Steve was already carrying him; he was going to bury his head in Steve’s neck. That didn’t sit well with Steve.

“Doll, it’s ok. You can rest. I’ve got you.” Steve adjusted his grip so that Tony had no choice besides resting his head in the crook of Steve’s neck.

The words Steve said didn’t really register. He was too busy soaking body heat Steve was throwing off. Tony was starting to shiver, whether that was from being cold or from shock was anyone’s guess, but Steve just gripped him tighter and walked him with a newfound determination. Tony’s eyes slipped close before he knew it; he was letting his consciousness drift in and out.

Tony had no idea how much time had passed when you felt the sway of Steve’s walking stop and Steve’s voice prying his eyes open. 

“I know you’re tired, Tony, but I have to put you down.” Steve was speaking to him so gently. It sounded like he was trying his hardest not to startle him.

“I’m not tired. I’m okay, Cap.” Tony said as he was being set down in front of an old wooden cabin.

It was obviously run down in a way that made it seem like no one had been in it for a while. There was ivy climbing up the sides of the walls, and pieces of the stairs had fallen away with rot. The front door looked to be covered in spider webs, and the porch in an unknown number of bugs.

“Home sweet home,” Tony muttered under his breath. 

“Hopefully, it’ll keep you warm while we wait. Stay here; I’m gonna check that it’s safe.” Steve walked towards the front door, moving around to avoid any of the wood that had fallen away.

He swatted away the spider webs and opened the door, cautiously walking inside. He was only in the cabin for about 45 seconds before he appeared in the doorway. He walked down to Tony and put an arm around his waist, basically carrying him in the cabin.

“It’s small and musty, but it’s solid and has a bed.” Tony was then set down on the bed in question, sending a puff of dust into the air. 

Tony looked around and saw a small kitchenette with what looked like a hot plate and a mini-fridge that Tony didn’t even want to consider opening. There was also a couch tucked away in the corner, covered in all sorts of blankets that were probably just as dusty but looked more and more inviting the colder Tony got. Like Steve was reading his mind, he gathered up the blankets from the couch and brought them over to Tony on the bed.

He set them down and then picked what looked like the softest one and wrapped it around Tony’s shoulders. He draped it so carefully, and his hand lingered on the side of Tony’s neck, thumb subtly rubbing his cool skin. 

“You’re cold.” There was no questioning in Steve’s voice.

“I keep telling you that I’m fine, Winghead. Please stop worrying. You’re going to give yourself an ulcer.” Tony’s body began to slump back on the bed as he spoke. The last of the energy he was so desperately clinging to was leaving his body. 

“Yeah, sure, Shellhead. Whatever you say,” but Steve was only half listening.

Steve was busy walking around the room, pulling back tarps, and opening cupboards. He pulled out what looked like something freeze-dried and a book of matches. He left the food on the counter and walked over to the tiny fireplace Tony hadn’t noticed. There were a few pieces of firewood already in the fireplace and some next to it. 

Tony watched as Steve started a fire while he gave in to his body’s needs and laid his head down on the scratchy pillow. He was sure that he was going to be able to stay awake, but then again, he thought that when Steve had been carrying him outside. Suddenly, Tony felt a hand run through his hair and realized that Steve had walked over to him. The hand was so lovely, and Tony knew that Steve was doing it on purpose.

“I’m sure that the team will be here soon. You’re going to be ok; we’re going to be ok. I got you, sweetheart. Just warm up now, and rest. There you go. I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

And with that, Tony fell into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this trope-y nonsense!


	2. Chapter 2

When Tony opened his eyes, it was dark. Or at least darker than it had been when he fell asleep. The primary source of light was coming from the small fire that looked to be on the verge of dying. Tony moved to sit up to get a better view, but he had the ache in his body was bone-deep. 

As he was contemplating moving to stand, he realized that Steve wasn’t in the cabin. That got Tony out of bed faster than he thought he could, up and looking, pointedly ignoring any pain that he felt. He had to find Steve, what if he had gotten hurt when Tony was sleeping? What if Tony couldn’t find him? 

That thought sent a wave of panic through him that he couldn’t explain. All that Tony was feeling at the moment didn’t matter; Steve was the only thing that he could think about, the only important thing.

Tony swung the door to the cabin open, only to see Steve standing on the porch outside with an armful of wood. His eyes shot over to Tony and were immediately full of worry and a little bit of guilt. He moved quickly over to the doorway, eyes scanning over Tony.

“What are you doing up? I was hoping you would sleep a little bit longer, that I would be inside by then. Your body needs more rest. And you shouldn’t be out here. It’s freezing,” Steve said, moving Tony back inside and then kicking the door closed.

“You- ah. You weren’t here. I was w-worried.” Tony wanted to say the stuttering in his words was because of the blistering cold winds that had blown through the door, but he knew that wasn’t it

Steve’s eyes softened as he put down the wood by the fireplace and walked towards Tony, putting his hand on Tony’s neck.

“I’m sorry if I worried you, Tones. It’s just that the snow is getting real bad, and I had to get wood. I didn’t want you to get cold.” Steve’s hand slid down his arm and rested on Tony’s waist. 

The energy between them had drawn their bodies closer together. Tony, being shorter than Steve, was forced to look up to meet Steve’s eye. As he did, he caught Steve’s gaze flicker down towards his lips, and then Tony saw as he licked his own. That drew Tony out of whatever trace had taken over him, and he pulled himself out of Steve’s hold. 

He saw a look on Steve’s face that looked like he was hurt, but Tony was trying his hardest not to read too much into this situation. Nothing was happening, no matter how much he wanted it to happen. He was still tired and injured, and his brain was playing tricks on him. Steve didn’t want him the way that Tony dreamed he did.

Tony forced himself to turn his back to Steve and went to sit back on the bed. He heard a small sigh coming from Steve, followed by steps moving away from him. As Tony sat down, it took everything inside him to avoid looking up; his eyes fixed on the dust bunnies next to the bed frame. He only looked up when a bottle of water was shoved in front of his face. 

“I found a few of these in one of the cupboards. Drink as much as you can. You don’t need to be dehydrated on top of everything.” Steve then moved away to build the fire back up.

As the fire grew in size, Tony was able to see more of the cabin and out the window. The snow had started to come down quite heavily, and the wind was whipping it past them. It was moving so fast that Tony couldn’t see more than maybe 15 feet out of the window. The snow on the ground was probably 3 feet high. 

Long story short - they weren’t going anywhere else tonight, and no one was coming to get them. 

Tony was going to hope for the best; the team was able to finish the battle without any injuries. After that, they would help with any cleanup and then debrief. By that point, the snow would have been coming down too heavily to be practical to fly in. They would most likely wait until morning when it wasn’t pitch black outside.

That meant he would be alone with Steve. All night. In a one-room cabin with a single bed. Tony didn’t know how he was going to handle this. This situation was Tony’s personal hell; he was being tortured for all the terrible things he had done in his life. He was going to have to sit here and pretend like he wasn’t deeply in love with a man who didn’t love him back while they cuddled together to stay warm during a snow-storm.

He was living a rom-com nightmare.

Tony thought briefly about going to sleep on the couch, but that sounded like the last thing he wanted to do. There was also no way he was going to ask Steve to sleep on the couch. He worked so hard; he deserved not to be squished up on some tiny couch.

No, Tony was a grown-up. He could handle his emotions, and by that, he means ignore them like his life depends on it. 

“You hungry, Shellhead? I found some freeze-dried blueberries, protein bars, and some sort of beef jerky. If you’re feeling up to it, you should eat something.” 

Tony was about to say he could eat and the blueberries sounded go-

“Blueberries, right? I know that they are your favorite, and I knew you would be happy when I found them.” Steve genuinely looked pleased that he could provide this for Tony.

Steve was not making it easy to ignore his feelings.

“Yeah, blueberries are good. Thanks, Cap,” Tony spoke while reaching for the bag Steve was offering.

Steve passed off the bag and sat down next to Tony on the bed.

“The team will probably come for us in the morning,” Steve said around a mouthful of a protein bar. 

“Yeah, I figured that.”

“We’ll be good here for the night as long as you’re OK. You are OK, right?” Steve moved closer to Tony; their thighs pressed together. 

“Capsicle, I told you. I am fine, and I promise to tell you if that changes” Tony knew he was lying and Steve most likely did too, but the sentiment was there. 

“Right, sure. I’ll hold you to that, Doll.” The endearment spilled off his tongue with ease.

Tony hoped that Steve couldn’t see the blush in the firelight as he ducked his head. He just ate his blueberries in comfortable silence, the only noises being the cracking of the fire, the whistling wind outside, and the rustle of the food wrappers.

As he finished his food, Tony stood up, put the wrapper on the bedside table, and stretched. He wished that they had some painkillers, but he wanted a lot of things right now. He wanted to be at home, be himself. However, he also wanted Steve to wrap his up and kiss him like Tony had never been kissed before, but neither of those things were likely to happen. 

“Come lie down again. You’re sore, and you shouldn’t be on your feet.” Steve pulled back the blankets on the bed and made a space that looked too inviting to turn down.

With his body acting on its own accord, he walked directly over to the offered spot and laid down. Steve pulled the blankets up over Tony’s shoulder and then one more blanket on top of that. Tony glanced over at Steve to see what he’s doing. 

“Don’t give me that look; you get cold at night, and you know it,” Steve said, tucking the blanket a little tighter around him.

“I know that, but how do you know that?” 

“I know a lot about you, more than you think.” Steve had turned away from him, cleared his throat, and reached for a bottle of water. 

That was quite the statement. Tony wasn’t sure how to feel about it, so instead, he took a moment to really look at Steve. 

Steve was back-lit from where he was standing, the fire creating a ring of light that surrounded him. He didn’t look like he had been in a plane crash or carried a grown man through the woods. He stripped off his uniform, just wearing the pants, a t-shirt, and a plaid jacket that Tony assumed Steve had found somewhere in the cabin. 

He looked good, rough, and burly but also like he would be soft for the people that he loved. Tony wanted to be the people that Steve loved. 

“You should try and get some more sleep. Nothing else we can do.” Steve finished his bottle of water and sat on the couch.

“You should too, Mr. Hypocrite. You’ve been in action mode all day,” Tony said, lifting himself up to see Steve better.

“Hey, I know my limits, unlike some people.” Steve laughed and relaxed back into the couch.

“I know my limits! I just choose to ignore them, but we aren’t talking about that. As you said, we have nothing to do.” Tony moved over on the bed, silently inviting Steve to come to lay down.

A look passed quickly over Steve’s face, one that Tony couldn’t decipher, and then Steve moved over to him.

“Are you OK with me, uh, with me in the bed? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” 

“Yeah, I mean as long as y-your fine with it,” Tony tried to keep his voice steady.

“Yes! I mean- yeah, I’m great. Good, I’m good with it.” Steve laid on the edge of the bed and got under the blanket.

They settled in, and the silence that enveloped them lasted for what felt like an eternity before Steve rolled onto his side to face Tony. Tony had already been turned slightly away from Steve, so they ended up spooning slightly. Tony felt more than saw Steve’s arm move and settle tentatively around Tony’s waist. 

“Is this ok?” Tony could feel Steve’s breath against his ear, causing him to shiver. 

He couldn’t speak, so he just nodded slightly. Steve’s arm then tightened, and he pulled their bodies closer together. Tony tried to regulate his breathing, not wanting to alert Steve that their position caused him distress. However, Steve had a sixth sense when it came to knowing everything about Tony.

“I can feel your heart racing. What’s wrong?” Steve said, pulling Tony even closer.

“Yeah, I’m uh- good. Just trying to relax.” Tony hoped that Steve would drop it, but he was never that lucky.

“Come on now, what’s going on? No, don’t roll away, Sweetheart, look at me.” Steve forced Tony to roll over and tipped his face up with a finger under Tony’s chin.

Their eyes roved over each other’s faces, the energy between them electric. Tony could almost see the thoughts processing in Steve's head and was about to ask if he was OK when Steve spoke. 

“Tony- ahem- Tony, can I kiss you?” and there were no words to describe how Tony felt at the words Steve had said. 

“Yes. Yes, pleas-” and before Tony could finish his words, Steve’s lips were on his.

Tony forgot about everything that happened that day. Any pain and worry he had was long gone as Steve’s lips moved against his. His lips were soft, and there was the perfect amount of pressure. Steve’s tongue darted out and licked Tony’s bottom lip, causing his whole body to shiver. Tony moved to press himself against Steve fully, but Steve pulled out of the kiss.

“Tony, we gotta slow down. You’re still hurting, and if we keep going…” Steve bit his lip and looked Tony up and down. “Let’s just say that I have plans for us.”

“Plans? Ever the boy scout, aren’t you?” Tony teased, trying to release some of the tension that had built around them. 

“Well, I’ve been thinking about this moment forever, and I’m going to make sure that it’s perfect.” The mood Tony tried to lighten came slamming back down around them.

“Oh,” The statement had left Tony at a loss for words.

“Sweetheart, this isn’t something I’m doing on a whim. I fell for you hard a while back now, and it would be real’ nice to know if you felt the same way.” Steve bit his lip, and his eye shone with what looked like hope.

Tony still didn't know what to say. Here he was, in the middle of the woods, being told that the man he had been in love with mere hours after they met felt the same way. This couldn’t be his life; he didn’t get to have this. There must be some hidden catch because this was too good for him.

“Tones, please say something, anything. I mean, if you don’t feel the same way, we can pretend that this never happened, and things will go back to normal. We'll just forget everything that I sai-”

“I don’t want to forget," Tony rushed quickly to say. "I just never thought that I would be hearing you say this, not to me, at least.” Tony took a deep breath,

“Steve, I fell for you too, and I was just content to stay friends, but I think we are past that now, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, Doll. I would say that we are past that.” Steve had the most breath-taking smile on his face, something that was just for Tony.

“Kiss me again. Please.” Steve apparently didn’t need to be told twice.

He surged forward and caught Tony in a kiss just as passionate as the first and less hesitant. Tony tried to pour all the emotion he was feeling into the kiss, and Steve gave in right back. They were slotted together like they were made for each other. Tony was starting to feel braver and let his hand roam over Steve’s body, which led to Steve pulling back again and Tony letting out an involuntary whine.

"Oh Sugar, don’t make that noise, you’re not making it easy, but like I said, you need to rest. We got all the time in the world. Just let me hold you tonight.” Steve tucked Tony’s chin into his neck and ran his hand down his back.

Nothing could touch Tony here. Not the battle, or the wind or the snow. Nothing could get him wrapped up in Steve’s arms. He knew that they had things to talk about, that they should have a real conversation. None of that mattered right now; that was a topic for the morning. When the team picks them up, and they are in the safety of the tower. Right now, all they needed was each other, the snow, and the fire to keep them warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I surprised myself by finishing this so quickly! Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> If you want to follow me on Tumblr, you can always find me at 
> 
> tonymystarks.tumblr.com


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